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The End of America is not some grand political statement. It is a band of brothers making music where the earth runs out.

Blame it on Kerouac. From the pages of his masterpiece, On The Road, Brooklyn based folk trio The End of America draws inspiration for both their band and their name. The novel's concept of traveling to the end of the “groaning continent” seems almost like a dare, whereby those who choose to accept it may follow the road till they find themselves where all artists long to be: the farthest you can go.

For The End of America, that means taking risks to do what feels right. In 2010, long-time friends and founding members Brendon Thomas, James Downes, and Trevor Leonard joined forces to record what became their debut album, Steep Bay, live in the wilderness of upstate New York using only 2 mics and a battery powered recorder. The trio -- all front men of their other respective projects -- honed a sound at Thomas’ lakeside cabin that many have likened to a modern Crosby, Stills, & Nash; utilizing 3 part harmonies over organic musical arrangements. The album received praise for both its performances and refreshing honesty.

In 2011 TEOA released a full length DVD titled Are You Lonely, which documents the Adirondack birthplace of the album and features live music videos of every song.

The band now presents their latest effort, Shakey. Each cut was recorded live to tape over a weekend in June 2012, again in pursuit of the right feeling & capturing moments. The trio added a heartbeat to their arrangements, inviting Brian Pitonak on bass & Jarrod Pedone on drums to the session, formerly of the band Among Criminals. With minimal rehearsal and in the fewest takes possible -- an approach inspired by Neil Young, to whom the title pays homage -- Shakey was completed in 3 days and released on December 21 2012 via Forest Park Recordings.

In February 2013, TEOA was personally chosen by Beck Hansen to perform at the premiere of his Song Reader sheet music album in Los Angeles. As one of only 3 bands, their performance received applause from Spin Magazine, Filter, and Billboard. See their performance of Beck’s song "Please Leave a Light On When You Go" below, live at Sonos Studios.

Music comes and goes. It arrives in waves, and evaporates in the heat of new trends and is forgotten over time. For Mark Rose, time has allowed him to not only be remembered ‘right now,’ but to also bring forth some of the most charismatic and tasteful songwriting of our generation – and many more to come. You may recall Mark as the charming tongue-in-cheek frontman of indie/emo tastemakers Spitalfield, who spent nearly ten years touring internationally with acts like Fall Out Boy, The Early November, and Minus the Bear. Since Spitalfield’s ’07 departure, a gaping hole began to emerge in the scene. Where has the sincerity gone? Where has the house-show, family oriented, all-inclusive mentality disappeared to? After completing his 2013 solo EP The Sound of a Turnaround with Sean O’Keefe (Plain White T’s, Motion City Soundtrack, Fall Out Boy) at the mixing boards, Mark Rose has surfaced as the answer to those questions.

The 29-year old Chicago native has quite the resume under his belt. Out of pure jealousy of his older sister starting piano lessons, Mark begged his parents to give him a shot at the keys at the ripe age of 5. Fast-forward to pre-teen-Rose at age 11, when he received his very first guitar – and hasn’t slowed down since. Not only has Mark performed over 1,000 shows in 9 countries spanning over 3 continents, but also took the time to truly fine-tune his craft by attending Columbia College in Chicago for music composition. Following his stint at Columbia, Mark signed his first record contract and publishing deal before the age of 19, at which point his career shifted into the Spitalfield era for almost ten fruitful years.

It took Rose some time to re-discover himself after Spitalfield – as it would anyone transitioning from a 9-month travel year to writing songs in their apartment full time. The process began slowly, starting with two solo EPs and a stretch of about 150 shows between 2008 and 2011. The time came to finally put together a debut LP, at which point the momentum immediately shifted into gear after Rose picked up the phone to call his original partner in crime for Spitalfield’s debut Remember Right Now – none other than Sean O’Keefe. “The process of getting back into a rhythm of making records felt so natural with Sean on board,” says Rose. “The initial phone call was meant to test the waters, and we ended up accomplishing more than we ever thought was possible.” Sean O’Keefe went on to produce Mark’s 2011 debut solo LP Wonderful Trouble, referred to by Alternative Press as having the “style and emotion of a John Hughes movie soundtrack." After some extensive touring and countless re-introductions, Mark went to work on his follow-up 4-song EP The Sound of a Turnaround, released in January of 2013. Turnaround possesses a realness that is not easily compared to Rose’s contemporaries – a realness that looks to reignite not only a scene, but also a way of thinking. Fans of John Mayer, Dashboard Confessional, and Spitalfield (the obvious lightbulb) will find themselves unable to detach from Mark’s soothing melodies and truly heartwarming lyrics. Chicago Examiner wrote, “The impact of this new sound should be a wider audience base for the multi-talented singer/songwriter.” Rose is in it for the long haul, and the songs truly portray that sentiment.

After wrapping up a successful but exhausting 26-day Southern/Midwest tour with JT Woodruff of Hawthorne Heights – where the duo played 33 shows over that span – Mark Rose has quite a year ahead of him. Although the element of his past writings is ever-present, Property of Zack said it best, “…Rose is so much more than Remember Right Now.” Perhaps Mark’s fans have been called upon to do just that.

Brother George is an indie rock band from Chicago, IL. The current lineup consists of Zane Scott (Drums), Neal Neumann (Bass, Vocals), Ryan Culbertson (Guitar, Vocals), and Sagan Jacobson (Guitar, Vocals). Brother George formed in 2007, but their current members have been playing together for just under a year. Founding member Tory Dahlhoff left the band last year to pursue family and career (he ultimately became a touring member of LA electro-soul group Electric Guest). Sagan Jacobson filled Dahlhoff's vacancy after touring with The Dear Hunter. Drummer Zane Scott joined soon after to round out the lineup.

The band lives together in an apartment above a record store in the heart of Wicker Park. During the summer, you can often hear them perfecting tracks from a window on Milwaukee Ave. Though Brother George represents Chicago, founding members and longtime friends Neal Neumann and Ryan Culbertson originally formed Brother George shortly after leaving St. Louis for Chicago. Sagan was a founding member of Bloomington, IL rock outfit Crown Atlantic. Zane was once on drums for legendary Bloomington, IL indie folk band Ohtis. Coincidentally, Brother George's previous drummer (Philip Baker) was once drummer for Ohtis, too. Brother George is a hodgepodge of the midwest's most silently influential bands.